Nowadays, semiconductor storage mediums, such as flash disks, flash cards and semiconductor storage mediums used in products like cell phones and digital cameras, are widely used. With developments of technology, storing capacities, as well as storing densities, of semiconductor storage mediums become larger and larger. However, as a semiconductor storage medium is used, a lifetime thereof is shortened. That is, the semiconductor storage medium may be used for a less number of times. The lifetime of the semiconductor storage medium may comprise a maximum lifetime of the semiconductor storage medium, an average lifetime of the semiconductor storage medium, a threshold, and/or a lifetime of each physical block in the semiconductor storage medium.
Taking a flash medium for example, generally, each block in the flash medium may be erased and written for thousands of times, or even only hundreds or dozens of times. Thus important data may be lost when the lifetime of the semiconductor storage medium expires but the user does not anticipate the expiration. Accordingly, a method for informing the user of an aging extent of the semiconductor storage medium and providing the user with a prompt or warning when a usage limit is to be reached.